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Program of Initial Formation

The Program of Initial Formation is a gradual process of personal, spiritual, and ministerial development. During Initial Formation, a candidate is helped to develop his personal character and theological understanding so he will be able to live and work effectively with other men as a Franciscan friar in service to the Church. There are three areas of Initial Formation.

Postulancy:
For one or two years, a man lives with a friar community and engages in various aspects of its life and work. During this time, the candidate is presented with resources (e.g. workshops, personal advisors) to help him develop the psychological and emotional qualities necessary for religious life and ministry.

Novitiate:
As a novice, the candidate's goal is to deepen his relationship with God. He is introduced more intensely to the Rule of Life of the friars and to the history and traditions of the Franciscan Order. At the conclusion of the novitiate year, the candidate professes his first vows (poverty, chastity, and obedience) as a Franciscan friar.

Post-Novitiate:
The five years after first profession are spent developing a competence for service to the church in programs of study suitable to the kind of work the friar aspires to perform. Friars who are candidates for priesthood are enrolled in a Master of Divinity degree program preparing them for pastoral ministry.

The friars initial formation concludes with the profession of solemn or final vows, an event which fully incorporates him into the Province and the Franciscan Order. The total process takes seven years.

Prayer Before the Crucifix

"Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me, Lord, a correct faith, a certain hope, a perfect charity, sense and knowledge so that I may carry out Your holy and true command."
–Words of St. Francis